No Fly List: Notes From Sub Pop’s Airport Store (October 2015)

Overheard at the Sub Pop Airport Store:

Now that I live and breathe Sub Pop at the airport, it’s easy for me to lose sight of the fact that, for many travelers, their first introduction to the record label is wandering accidentally into our store.

While we are quite accustomed to hearing statements like, “This is the best store ever!” sometimes we overhear observations, or are asked questions, that very much help keep us grounded. I recently asked my fellow employees for any funny quotes that they have overheard lately. Here’s a small sampling of some of the stranger things that are spoken at the store:

“These SUB POP shirts all look like the Sublime logo.”

“So, is this like, Seattle’s Abercrombie?”

“Sub Pop must be some kind of local soda company.”

“This is a store for teenyboppers.”

“I don’t know what Sub Pop is, but I like it.”

“Why does this say LOSER?”

“A record store in the airport. Oh my god, this is so Seattle.”

“Man, Sub Pop used to be anti-culture.”

“Oh yeah, Sub Pop is Dave Grohl’s recording studio.”

“This is weirdly awesome.”

“I’m about to spend all my money and I haven’t even left the airport yet.”

“This is a little ridiculous. They should have a store in the worst alley of Seattle, not the airport.”

“Who are all these people?”

“Can you take my photo for your wall?

“Why don’t you have the Chili Peppers on here?”

“Whoa! Check out these tiny records.”

“Are these really vinyls back here? New ones?”

“What do you play records on nowadays?”

“Why are you buying records here? You don’t even have a record player…”

“I respect what’s going on in here, but they need some better stuff, like O.A.R. or Janis Joplin.”